In general, an iron, which may be classified into an electric type and a steam type, has a soleplate with a heat coil built in the bottom thereof, and a body positioned on the soleplate and provided with a handle and a switch. When the switch is turned on, the built-in heat coil is operated to generate heat, so that the cloth is ironed by pressing the soleplate onto the surface of the cloth.
According to the conventional iron as described above, the cloth is ironed by the heat generated from the heat coil built in the soleplate. Specifically, the cloth is spread on a floor or an ironing board, and then is ironed by a general ironing method. In the case of pleating the cloth, a portion of the cloth to be pleated is folded, and then is ironed by the soleplate of the iron.
In the case of ironing the surface of the cloth with the conventional iron, the soleplate of the iron is pressed on the flat surface of the cloth, so that the cloth is smoothed. In the case of pleating the cloth, the portion of the cloth to be pleated is folded, and then is ironed by the soleplate of the iron. Then, the cloth is turned over, and the opposite portion is ironed by the soleplate. Therefore, the pleating work is very cumbersome and difficult.
In addition, if the cloth is not accurately turned over, several wrinkles may be frequently formed on the cloth by mistake. Accordingly, the ironing is cumbersome work.
In particular, since the pleats are not properly formed and a user should iron the cloth entirely according to the conditions of ironing, the efficiency of the ironing is greatly lowered, and it is very difficult to properly pleat the cloth.
In the case of ironing a shirt or trousers with a conventional iron, even an unskilled person can smooth the surface of the cloth by ironing the cloth. In the case of pleating the cloth, however, only a skilled person can properly pleat the cloth.
In ironing the cloth in a conventional manner, a user spreads the cloth on a floor or an ironing board, without making any fold on the cloth, and then performs the ironing as moving the iron back and forth.
Since the bottom surface of the soleplate is made of a solid (metal) material while the ironing board is made of a soft (fiber) material, the cloth is slid between the iron and the ironing board when the iron is moved back and forth, so that the pleats are altered. In order to prevent double pleats from being created in the cloth, it is required for the user to press the cloth that is spread on the floor with one hand, and simultaneously to hold the iron with the other hand. This cumbersome work causes a time loss, and the user should pay thoughtful attention to pleat the cloth. Whenever the cloth is turned over, the cloth and the iron are repeatedly moved, and this causes a significant load to be imposed on the shoulder of a beginner or woman who pleats the cloth.